A PR nightmare

16/03/2010

The Green and Gold campaign at Manchester United has been heating up for a while now, with the whole world seeing the fan’s displeasure with the current owners (two huge ‘Love United Hate Glazer’ banners were put up in the Stretford End and most of the ground were wearing the colours of Newton Heath) during United’s 4-0 hammering of AC Milan last week.

Not everyone had a good time shouting the odds at the Glazer family, however. A young student who was working in one of the food and drink kiosks was sacked by the club after he was caught wearing a green and gold scarf which he had bought the night of the game.

‘I put it on at half-time as the floods of people poured out to stock themselves up with fluids and solids,’ said Jerry Vyse to the Mancunian edition of Student Direct. ‘The fans started to cheer in solidarity. Hearing the commotion, the supervisor came round and ordered me to remove it. This was met with jeers from the united supporters, most of whom had the scarf on themselves.

‘I turned to the supervisor and asked him why I could not continue doing my job. He said it was not because I was wearing a scarf because, if it had been a different colour, he would not have minded. He asked me, furiously, ‘Who pays your wages? Is it not Glazer?’ I answered ‘No, it’s the fans. Without them this club would not exist’. I then asked him the question: ‘Who pays Glazer's wages then. Is it not the fans?’’

‘MUFC will no doubt state that the decision was based on uniform policy – what he told me surely refutes that. He said it was because it was 'anti-Glazer'. Does it not sniff a little bit like a dictatorship if not even the smallest of dissents can be made about an incredibly rich man who has more or less taken over the club?’ Right on. United are of course unavailable for comment.